Los Angeles Lakers (15-8, .652, 1st NL West) @ Brooklyn Citizens (9-12, 5th NL East)
At 8 games off the pace, sitting at 9-12, and with a -39 rDiff already (tied for last in the Majors), Brooklyn is a runaway F train headed straight for Rockaway Beach with nary a swimmer amongst their rank and file. Returning home form a West Coast swing that included losing sets in Portland and Golden State (Oakland), Brooklyn has a tough slog ahead if they are to right the ship. Dead last in every, single offensive category and with a pitching staff ranked 6th, Brooklyn has only mustered a less-than-pedestrian 2.8 runs per game while allowing 4.6. That’s not how the deed gets done – former offensive studs, Randall Berger & Archie Imanov have yet to impress – they’re doing their best Otto impression so far and are nailing it. Neither is hitting their weight and they only have 3 home runs between them. Their Ace, Isaiah Zuno, has performed okay, but he’s really nobodies Ace, and Josh Allen, who after a 7-18 season in 2075 is trending to finish 8-23 in 2076, can officially be called a bust. Such high hopes - look at all that potential that’s gone unfulfilled. He puts in long hours, but just doesn’t get the results – his movement just hasn’t come around and once opposing teams dial him in, his starts turn into a BP session. The Citizens are a team on the road to ruin – 19th ranked development system says there will be no help any time soon. And with ticket sales plummeting so far in 2076 as they trend to finish below .500 for the first time in 9 seasons it’s difficult to see a scenario where they stay out of the red in 2076 – so, the big club is in a funk, their development system’s cupboards are bare, and without an infusion of cash they won’t be able to buy their way out of this – so, Brooklyn fans, welcome to the bottom – I hope you enjoy the view as it looks like you’ll be down here for a while.
24 of 162: Case Tunnell (3-0, 4.35) @ Josh Allen (1-3, 7.11)
Win, 5-2… Case gives us 6 innings of 3-hit ball & only allows 2 while striking out 7 before showering and putting on his best dancing clothes on his way out of the clubhouse to join the bridge and tunnel posse for some debauchery in Manhattan - the hapless Brooklyn offense just couldn’t get anything going against him and continued the trend against our bullpen. We teed off on Allen (who leads the majors in HRA) – 3 home runs in the game, included a 2-run shot for Ethan to go with solo shots from Pepper and Weaver. Otto is still in a bad way – he’d finish 1 for 4 in this one – but relievers Matt Olston pitches two hitless innings to get his 2nd hold and Barbaccia picks up his 10th save of the year which, if you’re counting, is good enough for 2nd in the Majors behind Philadelphia’s Tony Dyson (kids got 12 so far).
We’ll interrupt our regularly scheduled programming here as we’ve closed out the 1st month of the season… I’ll post a brief month one summary next and then finish off this 4-game series after that. Also, the Bush League is kicking off its 2076 campaign on May Day – your boy Adrian Bae will get his 1st start on the 2nd… I’m looking forward to that, let’s hope that he doesn’t let us down.